Multi-bureau credit file freeze and unfreeze

ABSTRACT

The systems and methods described herein allow consumers to lock or unlock their credit files at multiple credit bureaus in real-time or near real-time. The service may allow a consumer to provide identifying information, such as a personal identifier to lock or unlock credit files at a plurality of credit bureaus over a network. Upon receiving the personal identifier, the system may use the personal identifier to translate the identifier into a plurality of access codes for respective credit bureaus, for example by accessing a data structure, such as a database or table, that stores a personal identifier and access codes that are associated with a consumer. The system may then use the access codes to automatically initiate locking or unlocking of credit files for the consumer at the respective credit bureaus.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/704,289, filed on Sep. 14, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/344,003, filed on Nov. 4, 2016, which isa continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/015,407, filed onFeb. 4, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 12/541,835, filed on Aug. 14, 2009, which claims the benefit ofpriority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/088,905, filed on Aug. 14, 2008, the entireties of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

This disclosure generally relates to credit files. More specifically,this disclosure relates to locking and unlocking credit files.

Description of the Related Art

Credit bureaus provide consumers with the ability to lock or unlock,also referred to as freezing and thawing, respectively, their creditfiles in order to prevent information in a credit file from beingaccessed. When the file is unlocked, information in the file can beaccessed, for example by creditors that wish to perform credit checks.

Typically, a consumer provides information to a credit bureau thatconfirms their identity, as well as possibly a lock/unlock identifier(e.g., a number or alphanumeric code) in order to initiate locking orunlocking of their credit file. Unfortunately, this can be inconvenientbecause the consumer may need to memorize a separate identifier that isprovided by the credit bureau for each credit bureau that maintains acredit file for the consumer. Moreover, if the consumer forgets anidentifier he or she may need to request a new identifier by, forexample, phone or certified mail from the credit bureau, which canresult in a delay in locking their file. Additionally, when the consumerwishes to unlock their file they may need to wait a specified period oftime, often three days, for the file to be unlocked. Besides imposingrisks to a consumer's credit file, these delays may cause lenders, suchas those looking to provide instant credit, to lose out on creditopportunities.

In merchant environments, such as department stores, credit file lockingand unlocking can be especially problematic. For example, a store mayoffer a credit card to a consumer at a point of sale. The consumer maydecide that applying for the store card is not worthwhile because theircredit file is locked and unlocking the file will take significant timeand effort (e.g., the consumer may be required to call each of one ormore credit bureaus and provide credit bureau specific credit fileunlock codes to each credit bureau, and the credit unlocks may requiresignificant time periods for implementation by respective creditbureaus). Alternatively, a consumer may apply for the store card usingthe credit application process, only to discover that their credit fileis locked. In this situation, the consumer may then decide not toproceed further with the application process because additional effortwill be needed to unlock their file. As a result, merchants may lose outon significant sales and credit opportunities.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure relates to credit file locking and unlocking. Insome embodiments, a system that implements a multi-bureau service forlocking and unlocking credit files is disclosed. The systems and methodsdescribed herein may also be used to simplify request of other changesto a consumer's credit file at each of multiple credit bureaus, such asfreezing and unfreezing credit files, and setting fraud alerts on aconsumer's credit file. The service may allow a consumer to provideidentifying information, such as a personal identifier (PID), which mayinclude a numeric or alphanumeric personal identification number (PIN),using, for example, a mobile device, RFID tag, or token, to lock orunlock credit files at a plurality of credit bureaus over a network.Alternatively, a consumer may provide other identifying information,such as a fingerprint or other biometric data to identify themselvesand/or provide the necessary PIN to initiate locking/unlocking of theircredit file. Upon receiving the identifying information, the system mayauthenticate the identity of the consumer that wishes to lock or unlockthe credit files. In some embodiments, the system may then use theidentifying information to search a data structure, such as a databaseor table, that stores lock or unlock information associated with theconsumer and associates each consumer with information regarding lockingand/or unlocking the consumer's credit files with each of multiplecredit bureaus. The system may then use the lock or unlock informationto automatically initiate locking or unlocking of credit files for theconsumer at the respective credit bureaus.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be particularly advantageousin merchant environments. For example, in point of sale environments aconsumer may enter identifying information, such as a PID, into a keypadto unlock their credit file. In response to receiving the identifyinginformation, the system can unlock the consumer's credit files at aplurality of credit bureaus in real-time or near real-time. By providingconsumers with a simplified interface and an expedient mechanism forunlocking their credit files, the system can increase creditopportunities for the merchant.

In one embodiment, a computer system configured to manage access ofconsumer credit files at a plurality of credit bureaus comprises aprocessor, a network interface, and a computer readable storage mediumconfigured to store a data structure having personal identifiers foreach of a plurality of consumers and, for at least some of the personalidentifiers, a plurality of access codes associated with respectivecredit bureaus, wherein the access codes are usable to lock or unlockcredit files associated with the respective consumer at the respectivecredit bureaus. In one embodiment, the computer system further comprisesa credit file locking module for execution by the processor in order tocause the computer system to receive personal identifiers fromrespective consumers via the network interface, receive access codes forrespective credit files of the respective consumers via the networkinterface, store the received personal identifiers and the receivedaccess codes in the data structure so that the personal identifiers areassociated with the access codes of the respective consumers, and inresponse to receiving a request to lock or unlock one or more creditfiles associated with a particular consumer, the request comprising thepersonal identifier of the particular consumer, translate the personalidentifier into access codes of the particular consumer based on thedata structure, and initiate transmission of the access codes of theparticular consumer to the respective credit bureau.

In one embodiment, a computerized method for allowing a consumer to lockor unlock credit information at a plurality of credit bureaus, themethod being configured for execution by at least one computing device,comprises receiving information comprising a personal identifier from aconsumer, storing the personal identifier in a data structure in acomputer readable storage medium, receiving a plurality of access codesassociated with respective credit bureaus, wherein the access codes areusable to lock or unlock associated credit information at the respectivecredit bureau, and storing the access codes in the data structure,wherein the access codes are associated with the personal identifier ofthe consumer. In one embodiment, the method further comprises receivinga request to allow access to credit information of the consumer, therequest comprising the personal identifier, determining the access codesassociated with the personal identifier as stored in the data structure,and initiating transmission of the associated access codes to each ofthe respective credit bureaus to allow access to the credit informationof the consumer at the respective credit bureaus.

In one embodiment, a computer system configured to manage access ofconsumer credit files at a plurality of credit bureaus comprises aprocessor, a network interface, means for translating a personalidentifier of a consumer into a plurality of associated access codes,wherein the access codes are usable to lock or unlock credit filesassociated with the consumer at respective credit bureaus, and means forinitiating transmission of the access codes to the respective creditbureaus.

In one embodiment, a computer readable medium stores softwareinstructions that are readable by a computing system, wherein thesoftware code is executable on the computing system in order to causethe computing system to perform a method that comprises receiving apersonal identifier of a consumer from a computing device, determiningaccess codes associated with the personal identifier based on a datastructure stored in a computer readable storage device, wherein eachaccess code is associated with a credit file of the consumer at arespective credit bureau, and initiating transmission of the accesscodes to the respective credit bureaus to initiate locking or unlockingof the credit information of the associated consumer at the respectivecredit bureaus.

In one embodiment, a computerized method for allowing a consumer to lockor unlock credit information at a plurality of credit bureaus, themethod being configured for execution by at least one computing device,comprises storing a plurality of access codes associated with respectivecredit bureaus in a data structure, wherein the access codes are usableto lock or unlock associated credit information at the respective creditbureau and the access codes are associated with a personal identifier ofa consumer, receiving a request to allow access to credit information ofthe consumer, the request comprising the personal identifier, anddetermining the access codes associated with the personal identifier asstored in the data structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a multi-bureaufreeze device that is in communication with a consumer computing deviceand a plurality of credit bureaus via a network.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of amulti-bureau freeze device that is in communication with a point of saledevice and a plurality of credit bureaus via a network.

FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating another embodiment of amulti-bureau freeze device that is in communication with a plurality ofcredit bureaus and a computing device via a network.

FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a PID translationdata structure.

FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of a PIDtranslation data structure.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method ofregistering a user account for the credit file locking/unlockingservice.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method of lockingor unlocking credit files at multiple credit bureaus.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example flow of data betweencomputing systems and devices to lock and/or unlock credit files atmultiple credit bureaus.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method oftranslating a consumer PID into multiple access codes, unlocking creditfiles at multiple credit bureaus using the access codes, and relockingthe credit files.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure generally relates to credit file locking andunlocking. In one embodiment, a system that implements a credit filelocking service is disclosed. In contrast to existing frameworks wherecredit files of consumers at multiple credit bureaus are locked orunlocked separately, the systems and methods described herein allowconsumers to lock or unlock their credit files at multiple creditbureaus in real-time or near real-time. Additionally, the systems andmethods in the present disclosure may be used with a fraud alert. In oneembodiment, if a fraud alert is placed on a consumer's credit file, eachtime a third party, for example a merchant, requests access to theconsumer's credit file a credit bureau sends notice to the requestingthird party that the third party should take steps to verify theidentity of the party requesting credit prior to extending credit in thename of the consumer on the requested credit report. For example, theconsumer may be contacted with a request for permission to allow thethird party to access the credit file for purposed of determiningeligibility for a credit account, for example. The systems and methodsdisclosed herein may permit the consumer to allow access to theconsumer's credit files at multiple credit bureaus, such as in responseto a fraud alert inquiry, in a single reply.

In an illustrative embodiment, a consumer may provide one or morepersonal identifier (also referred to herein as “PID”) to a multi-bureaufreeze device, for example over a computer network. As used herein, aPID may comprise any personal identifier, including without limitation aname, an address, a phone number, a date of birth, a maiden name, asocial security number, an account number, a driver's license number, apassword, a RFID tag or token, biometric data, such as a fingerprint,and/or a personal identification number (also referred to herein as a“PIN” or a PIN code”), which may comprise a sequence of numerals, asequence of alphanumeric characters, or any combination of personalidentifiers. A consumer selected PID may indicate that the consumer hasselected the type of data in the PID (e.g., a consumer selects a PIDthat is a password, a PIN, or a fingerprint) and/or that the consumerhas selected the content of the PID (e.g., the consumer selects theparticular password or PIN or provides a fingerprint). A consumerselected PID may advantageously be easier for the consumer to rememberand/or provide to a requesting entity or device

A consumer may provide the PID using a computing device, such as, forexample, a mobile device, a keypad, a card reader, or a biometric datareader. A multi-bureau freeze device may then validate the identity ofthe consumer using the PID provided. After verifying the identity of theconsumer, the multi-bureau freeze device may initiate unlocking orlocking of the consumer's credit files at each of a plurality of creditbureaus. In one embodiment, the credit files may be unlocked or lockedfor a predetermined period of time, and the predetermined period of timemay be specified by the consumer.

Some embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may allowmerchants to increase credit opportunities, especially in point of saleenvironments. For example, a merchant can request a consumer to enter aPID, such as a PIN code, into a keypad (e.g., a credit card readerkeypad). After the consumer enters a PID, the consumer's credit filescan be unlocked in real-time or in near real-time, and the merchant maythen receive copies of the consumer's credit files from a plurality ofcredit bureaus. Similarly, the consumer may be able to quickly andeasily lock their credit files after the desired credit pulls haveoccurred by entry of their PID. Thus, the system may increase creditopportunities for merchants and other financial service providers ofmortgages, automobile loans, credit card accounts, and the like byallowing them to access credit files quickly.

Embodiments of the disclosure will now be described with reference tothe accompanying figures, wherein like numerals refer to like elementsthroughout. The terminology used in the description presented herein isnot intended to be interpreted in any limited or restrictive manner,simply because it is being utilized in conjunction with a detaileddescription of certain specific embodiments of the invention.Furthermore, embodiments of the invention may include several novelfeatures, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes or which is essential to practicing the inventions hereindescribed.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a multi-bureaufreeze device 100 that is in communication with a consumer computingdevice 162 and a plurality of credit bureaus 164 (including creditbureaus 164A, 164B, 164N that are representative of any quantity ofcredit bureaus) via a network 160. Generally, the credit bureaus 164comprise one or more computing systems that gather and make availableinformation about how consumers use credit, such as a credit score orcredit report, for example.

FIG. 1B is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of a multi-bureaufreeze device 100B that is in communication with a point of sale device170 and the plurality of credit bureaus 164A, 164B, through 164N via thenetwork 160. FIG. 1C is a block diagram illustrating one embodiment of amulti-bureau freeze device 100C that is in communication with aplurality of credit bureaus, including credit bureaus 164A, 164B, 164C,164D, through 164N, and a computing device 172 via a network 160. Thecomputing device 172 may be associated with any entity, for example aconsumer, a retailer, an account provider, etc. The client computingdevice 162, point of sale device 170, and computing device 172 of FIGS.1A, 1B, and 1C may each comprise one or more computing system, mobiledevice, keypad, card reader, biometric data reader, or other device thatallows a user, such as a consumer, merchant, bank, etc., to exchangeinformation with the multi-bureau freeze device 100. In particular, theclient computing device 162 or the computing device 172 may allow theconsumer to register for the credit file locking service. In addition,the client computing device 162, the point of sale device 170, and/orthe computing device 172 may allow the consumer to unlock or lock creditfiles at multiple credit bureaus by communicating with the multi-bureaufreeze device 100. In a merchant environment, such as a departmentstore, the point of sale device 170 or the computing device 172 mayinclude a keypad, such as a keypad associated with a credit card readerat a store checkout, that allows a consumer to enter in information tounlock (or lock) their credit files at the plurality of credit bureaus164 nearly instantaneously and using a simplified process.

The multi-bureau freeze devices 100 may be used to implement certainsystems and methods described herein. For example, in one embodiment themulti-bureau freeze device 100 may be configured to implement a creditfile freeze or lock and/or a credit file thaw or unlock process. Thefunctionality provided for in the components and modules of themulti-bureau freeze device 100 may be combined into fewer components andmodules or further separated into additional components and modules. Asused herein, reference to the multi-bureau freeze device 100, or simplyto the device 100, refers generally to any one of the computing device100A, 100B, and 100C, to the extent that the device 100A, 100B, and/or100C includes the component or modules discussed with reference todevice 100. Each of the devices 100A, 100B, and 100C include uniquecomponents or modules and/or combinations of components or modules and,therefore, each represents a separate embodiment that may operatewithout regard to the differing components or modules of the othersystems described herein.

The multi-bureau freeze device 100 may include, for example, a computingsystem, such as a personal computer that is IBM, Macintosh, orLinux/Unix compatible. In one embodiment, the computing device comprisesone or more servers, desktop computers, laptop computers, cell phones,personal digital assistants, and/or kiosks, for example. In oneembodiment, the multi-bureau freeze devices 100 include a centralprocessing unit (“CPU”) 105, which may include one or more conventionalmicroprocessors. The multi-bureau freeze devices 100 s may furtherinclude a memory 130, such as random access memory (“RAM”), a flashmemory, and/or a read only memory (“ROM”), and a mass storage device120, such as one or more hard drives, diskettes, and/or optical mediastorage devices. Typically, the components and modules of themulti-bureau freeze devices 100 are connected using a standards basedbus system. In different embodiments, the standards based bus systemcould be Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Microchannel, SCSI,Industrial Standard Architecture (ISA) and Extended ISA (EISA)architectures, for example.

The multi-bureau freeze devices 100 are generally controlled andcoordinated by operating system software, such as Windows 95, Windows98, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7,Linux, SunOS, Solaris, or other compatible operating systems. InMacintosh systems, the operating system may be any available operatingsystem, such as MAC OS X. In other embodiments, the multi-bureau freezedevices 100 may be controlled by a proprietary operating system.Conventional operating systems control and schedule computer processesfor execution, perform memory management, provide file system,networking, and I/O services, and provide a user interface, such as agraphical user interface (“GUI”), among other things.

The illustrative multi-bureau freeze devices 100 may include one or morecommonly available input/output (I/O) devices and interfaces 110, suchas a keyboard, mouse, touchpad, and printer. In one embodiment, the I/Odevices and interfaces 110 include one or more display devices, such asa monitor, that allows the visual presentation of data to a user. Moreparticularly, a display device provides for the presentation of GUIs,application software data, and multimedia presentations, for example.The multi-bureau freeze devices 100 may also include one or moremultimedia devices 140, such as speakers, video cards, graphicsaccelerators, and microphones, for example.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, the I/O devices andinterfaces 110 provide a communication interface to various externaldevices. In the embodiments of FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, the multi-bureaufreeze devices 100 are coupled to a network 160 that comprises anycombination of one or more of a LAN, WAN, or the Internet, for example,via a wired, wireless, or combination of wired and wireless,communication link 115. The network 160 communicates with variouscomputing devices and/or other electronic devices via wired or wirelesscommunication links.

In the illustrative embodiments of FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, themulti-bureau freeze devices 100 include, or may be coupled to, forexample via a network connection, a device that includes a PIDtranslation data structure 166 that includes lock or unlock informationthat associates one or more particular consumers with access codes forlocking and/or unlocking a particular consumer's credit files at each ofa plurality of credit bureaus. The PID translation data structure 166may be implemented in any suitable format, including objects, tables,arrays, hash tables, linked lists, and/or trees. The PID translationdata structure 166 may be implemented and stored in a database. As usedherein, a database may comprise a relational database, such as Sybase,Oracle, CodeBase and Microsoft® SQL Server as well as other types ofdatabases such as, for example, a flat file database, anentity-relationship database, an object-oriented database, and/or arecord-based database. The data structure 166 may be stored in anycomputer readable medium, including a hard drive, a random-accessmemory, an optical disc, a tape drive, and/or a diskette. Theinformation stored by the PID translation data structure 166 may includea consumer PID that may be selected by a consumer. The consumer PID isassociated with multiple credit bureau specific access codes that areassociated with the consumer's credit file at respective credit bureausand that are configured to initiate locking or unlocking of theconsumer's credit files at the respective credit bureaus 164. Inaddition to the components and devices that are illustrated in FIGS. 1A,1B, and 1C, the multi-bureau freeze device 100 may be connected to otherdata structures that store access codes for consumer credit files and/orother computing devices through a bus or network 160.

In the embodiments of FIGS. 1A, 1B and 1C, the multi-bureau freezedevices 100 also include application modules that may be executed by theCPU 105. In the embodiments of FIGS. 1A and 1B, the application modulesinclude the consumer registration module 150 and the credit file lockingmodule 155, which are discussed in further detail below. The embodimentof FIG. 1C includes the credit file locking module 155.

In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodiedin hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions,possibly having entry and exit points, written in a programminglanguage, such as, for example, Java, Lua, C, C++, or C #. A softwaremodule may be compiled and linked into an executable program, installedin a dynamic link library, or may be written in an interpretedprogramming language such as, for example, BASIC, Perl, or Python.Software modules may include, by way of example, components, such asclass components and task components, processes, functions, attributes,procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware,microcode, circuitry, data, databases, tables, arrays, and variables. Itwill be appreciated that software modules may be callable from othermodules or from themselves, and/or may be invoked in response todetected events or interrupts. Software instructions may be embedded infirmware, such as an EPROM. It will be further appreciated that hardwaremodules may be comprised of connected logic units, such as gates andflip-flops, and/or may be comprised of programmable units, such asprogrammable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein arepreferably implemented as software modules, but may be represented inhardware or firmware. Generally, the modules described herein refer tological modules that may be combined with other modules or divided intosub-modules despite their physical organization or storage. Whenexecuted by the multi-bureau freeze devices 100, modules may allow themulti-bureau freeze devices 100 to perform operations, such as storingdata, accessing stored data, modifying stored data, communicating withother computing devices and systems, and other operations describedherein. For ease of explanation, the modules may be referred to asperforming an operation or a method, even though other systems and/orcomponents of the multi-bureau freeze device 100 may actually performthe operation or method in response to executing software of a module,for example.

In the embodiments described herein, the multi-bureau freeze devices100A and 100B are configured to execute the consumer registration module150, among other modules, in order to create a single point of servicefor consumers to freeze and thaw their credit files at multiple creditbureaus 164A-N. For example, in one embodiment, the consumerregistration module 150 allows a consumer to set up the file lockingservice by creating an account. The consumer registration module 150 mayrequest a consumer to provide enrollment information, includinginformation that verifies their identity, in order to register theconsumer, such as a name, driver's license number, address, socialsecurity number, birth date, phone number, account number, and the like.The consumer registration module 150 may then request the consumer toselect a consumer PID. When the consumer PID is later provided to themulti-bureau freeze device 100, the multi-bureau freeze device 100 mayinitiate locking or unlocking of credit files of the consumer at aplurality of credit bureaus 164A-N using access codes associated withthe consumer's credit files at respective credit bureaus.

The consumer registration module 150 may further be configured to sendrequests to the plurality of credit bureaus 164 to obtain access codesand/or other information about unlocking or locking credit files of aregistering consumer. In one embodiment, the consumer registrationmodule 150 may automatically register the consumer at the plurality ofcredit bureaus 164 and receive the respective access codes forlocking/unlocking the consumer's credit files at those credit bureaus164. In one embodiment, an access code authenticates the identity of theconsumer at a particular credit bureau for credit file locking orunlocking. The consumer registration module 150 may store these creditbureau specific access codes in the PID translation data structure 166and associate some or all of the credit bureau specific access codes ofa consumer with the consumer PID of the consumer.

The multi-bureau freeze devices 100 may also execute the credit filelocking module 155 to provide a simplified mechanism or interface tolock or unlock credit files at the plurality of credit bureaus 164A-N.In one embodiment, the credit file locking module 155 can receive aconsumer PID that is inputted by a consumer from consumer computingdevice 162, point of sale device 170, or other device. After receivingthe consumer PID, the credit file locking module 155 may access the PIDtranslation data structure to translate the received consumer PID intoaccess codes corresponding to multiple respective credit bureaus. Theaccess codes may then be sent over the network 160 to correspondingrespective credit bureaus 164 to lock or unlock one or more credit filesof the consumer.

In some embodiments, when the multi-bureau freeze devices 100 areoperated or associated with one or more of the credit bureaus 164, theconsumer PID may be used to lock or unlock credit files without anytranslation. This may be particularly advantageous in reducingprocessing time that may otherwise be expended to translate a consumerPID into lock or unlock information.

FIG. 2A illustrates one embodiment of a PID translation data structure,for example the PID translation data structure 166 of FIG. 1. As shown,the PID translation data structure 166 may include enrollmentinformation 210 associated with a consumer, such as a name and anaddress, for example. The PID translation data structure may alsoinclude various consumer PIDs 220 associated with the enrollmentinformation of respective consumers that authenticate a consumer'sidentity to the multi-bureau freeze device 100. In the illustratedembodiment, a consumer PID comprises a consumer-selected PID, inparticular a PIN. In addition, the PID translation data structure 166further includes access codes 230 that can be used to lock or unlockcredit files of the associated consumer at respective credit bureaus. Inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, the access codes include PINs. Thus, inthe embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, once a particular consumer isidentified in the PID translation data structure, e.g., by locating aconsumer PID received from a merchant POS device in the data structure,the access codes for each of multiple credit bureaus are identified andmay be used to initiate locking/unlocking of the consumer's credit fileswithout further involvement from the consumer.

FIG. 2B illustrates one embodiment of a PID translation data structurethat is implemented using linked lists. As shown, the PID translationdata structure includes a linked list of consumer PID links 250. Eachconsumer PID link 250 indicates the consumer PID for a consumer,including Consumer 1 and Consumer 2. Furthermore, each consumer PID link250 is linked to a list of access code links 260. In other embodiments,the PIDs 250 and corresponding access codes for respective creditbureaus may be stored in any other data structure, such as a database ora table, for example. In the embodiment shown, each access code link 260comprises access codes for a consumer for the respective credit bureau.As illustrated in FIG. 2B, access codes corresponding to differentcredit bureaus and/or different consumers may include different types ofinformation. Some non-limiting examples of different access codes areshown in FIG. 2B. The access codes corresponding to credit bureau 1include an access code that comprises biometric data for respectiveconsumers. The access codes corresponding to credit bureau 2 includeaccess codes that each comprise an alphanumeric character sequence. Thealphanumeric character sequence for one consumer does not need to be thesame length as the alphanumeric character sequence for another consumer,as shown by the different sample access codes for Consumers 1 and 2 inFIG. 2B.

The access codes associated with a credit bureau do not need to comprisethe same type of access code information, as shown by the access codescorresponding to credit bureau 3. One access code corresponding tocredit bureau 3 comprises a numeric PIN, and another access codecomprises biometric data. Also, an access code link may not itselfcomprise the access code, but may instead include a reference, such as apointer, to a location of an access code. In FIG. 2B, the access codelink corresponding to credit bureau 4 includes a reference to a filethat stores an encrypted access code, such as an XML file, for example.To enhance access code security, the multi-bureau freeze device 100 mayreceive and store an encrypted access code from a credit bureau, andonly the credit bureau may have the decryption key for the access code.Alternatively, the multi-bureau freeze device 100 may encrypt a receivedaccess code and store the encrypted access code.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method ofregistering a user account for the credit file locking/unlockingservice. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the blocks describedbelow may be removed, others may be added, and the sequence of theblocks may be altered. The illustrative method may be stored as aprocess that is accessible by the consumer registration module 150and/or other modules or components of the multi-bureau freeze device100. The method, including each block of the method, may be implementedby computing systems and devices, including the multi-bureau freezedevice 100. For ease of explanation, rather than by way of limitation,the following description will use the multi-bureau freeze device 100 asan example of a computing device that may implement the method.

Beginning in block 310, enrollment information from a consumer isreceived and verified. The enrollment information may include varioustypes of information that may identify the consumer, such as a name,social security number, date of birth, etc., including the types ofinformation discussed above. As those of skill in the art willrecognize, the specific criteria for being categorized as identifying aconsumer may vary greatly and may be based on a variety of possible datatypes. The enrollment information can be verified by checking theenrollment information provided against a database that includespersonal information about consumers. The enrollment information may bereceived though I/O Devices and Interfaces 110 of a multi-bureau freezedevice 100, such as enrollment information entered through a web browserand transmitted through the network or enrollment information receivedfrom an I/O device. The enrollment information may be stored in a memory130 and/or a mass storage device 120.

Moving to block 320, a consumer PID that is selected by the consumer tolock or unlock their credit files at a plurality of credit bureaus isreceived. The consumer PID may then be stored, for example in the PIDtranslation data structure 166. In one embodiment, the consumer mayprovide the selected consumer PID to the multi-bureau freeze devicethrough a browser, through an I/O device, or through a hard copy thatmay be analyzed by a computing device using optical characterrecognition. Alternatively, the consumer PID may be assigned to theconsumer, for example by the multi-bureau freeze device or by anemployee associated with an entity that operates the multi-bureau freezedevice 100.

Moving to block 330, information regarding locking and/or unlockingcredit files of the consumer from multiple credit bureaus is requested.For example, requests may be sent to credit bureaus for lock or unlockinformation, such as an access code, that enables locking or unlockingof the consumer's credit files at the respective credit bureau. Therequests may automatically register the consumer with one or more of thecredit bureaus. For example, the multi-bureau freeze device 100 mayinitiate transmission of enrollment information of a consumer tocomputing systems associated with respective credit bureaus and/or mayinitiate transmission of a request for lock or unlock information to thecredit bureaus.

Continuing to block 340, credit bureau lock and unlock information, suchas access codes, are received from the credit bureaus and stored in atranslation data structure (e.g., the PID translation data structure)where the access codes are associated with the consumer PID. Forexample, the multi-bureau freeze device 100 may receive the access codesfrom computing devices associated with respective credit bureaus via thenetwork and store the access codes in the PID translation datastructure.

FIG. 4 illustrates one embodiment of a method of locking or unlockingcredit files at multiple credit bureaus. The illustrative method may bestored as a process accessible by the credit file locking module 155and/or other modules or components of the multi-bureau freeze device100. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the blocks described belowmay be removed, others may be added, and the sequence of the blocks maybe altered. The method illustrated by FIG. 4 may be implemented byvarious computing systems and devices, including a multi-bureau freezedevice 100. For ease of explanation, rather than by way of limitation,the following description will use the multi-bureau freeze device 100 asan example of a computing device that may implement the method.

Beginning in block 410, a consumer PID is received from a consumer ormerchant system and verified. Once received, the consumer PID may bechecked against a data source, such as PID translation data structure166 or some other data structure that associates access codes forlocking and/or unlocking consumer credit files with consumeridentifiers, to further authenticate the identity of the consumer. Forexample, a multi-bureau freeze device 100 may receive a consumer PIDfrom a consumer or merchant system via a network 160 and store thereceived PID in a memory 130 or a mass storage device 120. Themulti-bureau freeze device may access information in the PID translationdata structure 166 to further authenticate the identity of the consumer.

Moving to block 420, the consumer PID is translated into lock or unlockinformation, such as access codes, for each of multiple respectivecredit bureaus. The plurality of access codes can be used toauthenticate the consumer at each of the credit bureaus and/or initiatelocking or locking of the consumer's credit files at the respectivecredit bureau. In one embodiment, the lock or unlock information isassociated with the consumer PID and stored in the PID translation datastructure 166. For example, the multi-bureau freeze device 100 mayaccess a PID translation data structure to determine a plurality ofaccess codes associated with a received consumer PID. A skilled artisanwill recognize that the identification information can be translated toa plurality of access codes using a query language, such as SQL.

Moving to block 430, locking or unlocking of the requesting consumer'scredit files at a plurality of credit bureaus using the respectiveaccess codes is initiated. In one embodiment, the access codes are sentto respective credit bureaus by the multi-bureau freeze device 100indicating a request for the credit files of the consumer to be lockedor unlocked at the respective credit bureaus. The access codes may beelectronically transmitted to the respective credit bureaus in real-timeor substantially in real-time.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an example flow of data betweencomputing systems and devices to lock and/or unlock credit files atmultiple credit bureaus. As shown, the data flows between a consumer orpoint of sale device 500, a multi-bureau freeze device 100, and aplurality of credit bureaus computing systems 164A, 164 B, and 164C. Inother embodiments, the flow of data may include fewer or additionalblocks and the blocks may be performed in a different order than isillustrated and discussed with reference to FIG. 5.

In FIG. 5, a consumer or point of sale device 500 transmits a consumerPID to the multi-bureau freeze device 100. In response to receiving theconsumer PID, the multi-bureau freeze device 100 may search a PIDtranslation data structure 166 for a plurality of access codesassociated with the consumer PID that lock or unlock credit files atcorresponding credit bureaus.

After the plurality of access codes are retrieved, for example from thePID translation data structure 166, the access codes are sent torespective credit bureaus 164A, 164B, and 164C. The plurality of creditbureaus 164 may then lock or unlock the credit files of thecorresponding consumer in response to authenticating the request to lockor unlock the consumer's credit file in view of the received respectiveaccess code. In other embodiments (not shown), the credit bureaus 164may then transmit credit information, such as a credit score or report,that are associated with the corresponding consumer to the multi-bureaufreeze device 100. The credit information can then be forwarded to theconsumer or point of sale device 500.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a method oftranslating a consumer PID into multiple access codes, unlocking creditfiles at multiple credit bureaus using the access codes, and relockingthe credit files. Depending on the embodiment, certain of the blocksdescribed below may be removed, others may be added, and the sequence ofthe blocks may be altered. The method illustrated by FIG. 6 may beimplemented by various computing systems and devices, including amulti-bureau freeze device 100 or any subset of the components thereof.For ease of explanation, rather than by way of limitation, the followingdescription refers to the multi-bureau freeze device 100 as an exampleof a computing device that may implement the method. The illustrativemethod may be stored as a process accessible by the credit file lockingmodule 155 and/or other modules or components of the multi-bureau freezedevice 100.

Beginning in block 610, a consumer PID is received from a computingdevice associated with a merchant (or other computing device). Moving toblock 620, the consumer PID is translated into a plurality of accesscodes for respective credit bureaus. First, the received PID may bechecked against a data source to verify the identity of the consumer.For example, a multi-bureau freeze device 100 may receive a consumer PIDfrom a point of sale device 170 and verify the consumer PID by accessingdata in a PID translation data structure or in other lock or unlockinformation data sources. Next, the consumer PID is translated into theplurality of access codes.

For example, a consumer PID may be received for consumer 1. The PID forconsumer 1 may then be translated into three access codes, one accesscode corresponding to each of credit bureaus 1, 2, and 3. The PID ofconsumer 1 may be translated into the plurality of access codes using aPID translation data structure. For example, the multi-bureau freezedevice may access the PID translation data structure and determine theaccess codes associated with the PID of consumer 1 in the PIDtranslation data structure.

Moving to block 630, the access codes are provided to the respectivecredit bureaus. For example, the multi-bureau freeze device may initiatetransmission of the access codes to the credit bureaus 164 via thenetwork. In block 640 the credit bureaus may unlock the consumer creditfile associated with the access code received by the respective creditbureau.

Moving to block 650, the merchant accesses one or more unlocked creditfiles from the credit bureaus. Depending on the embodiment, themerchant, for example through a computing device, may receive a creditfile directly from one or more of the credit bureaus. Alternatively, oneor more credit files may be provided to the multi-bureau freeze device100 which may then provide the credit files to the merchant.

Moving to block 660, a consumer PID is received again, though in someembodiments, the PID may be stored by the multi-bureau freeze device ormerchant device so that the consumer may not be required to re-providethe PID. It may be the same consumer PID received in block 610 or adifferent consumer PID that indicates that the consumer would like tolock credit files associated with the consumer. The consumer PID may bereceived by a multi-bureau freeze device 100 from the merchant devicefrom which the consumer PID was received in block 610. This may allow aconsumer to easily unlock a plurality of credit files for access by amerchant from a single device, thereby providing the merchant access tothe credit files associated with the consumer, and relock the pluralityof credit files. Alternatively, the consumer PID may be received from adifferent device, such as a consumer computing device 162 or a computingdevice 172.

Moving to block 670, the consumer PID is translated into a plurality ofaccess codes for respective credit bureaus. The access codes for therespective credit bureaus may be the same access codes described abovein block 620, or may be different access codes. For example, themulti-bureau freeze 100 device may access a PID translation datastructure to translate a received consumer PID into a plurality ofaccess codes. In block 680, at least some of the plurality of accesscodes are provided to the corresponding credit bureaus.

Finally, in block 690, the credit bureaus lock the credit filesassociated with the access code received by the respective creditbureau. The blocks shown in FIG. 6 may be performed substantially inreal time. For example, after the consumer provides the PID in block610, the merchant may be given access to the credit files of theconsumer in substantially real time. Then the consumer may again enterthe consumer PID and the credit files may be locked by the creditbureaus in substantially real time. This increases the likelihood thatonly a desired party, for example the merchant, may access theconsumer's credit files during the interval in which the credit filesare unlocked. Alternatively, after block 650, the credit files may againbe locked without entry of a consumer PID. For example, the credit filesmay be locked after a predetermined period of time. Some examples ofpredetermined periods of time include 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 10minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, one hour, one day, or one week, thoughthe predetermined time interval may be any other period of time. Thecredit files may also be locked immediately after access is given to themerchant device, such an in response to responding to a first requestfor a credit file for the unlocked consumer's credit file, or after apredetermined number of access of the respective credit files.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in terms of certainembodiments, other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art from the disclosure herein. Moreover, the describedembodiments have been presented by way of example only, and are notintended to limit the scope of the inventions. Indeed, the novel methodsand systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other formswithout departing from the spirit thereof. Accordingly, othercombinations, omissions, substitutions and modifications will beapparent to the skilled artisan in view of the disclosure herein. Thus,the present invention is not intended to be limited by the preferredembodiments, but is to be defined by reference to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing system configured to allow a user toremotely unlock credit data of the user at each of a plurality of creditbureaus, wherein the credit data of the user can be unlocked at theplurality of credit bureaus only with authorization from the user, thecomputing system comprising: one or more computer hardware processors;one or more computer readable medium storing: a data structureindicating a first access protocol for a first credit bureau of theplurality of credit bureaus and a second access protocol for a secondcredit bureau of the plurality of credit bureaus; executableinstructions configured for execution by the one or more computerhardware processors to cause the computing system to: receive a creditdata sharing authorization from a user computing device operated by theuser, the credit data sharing authorization indicating a request by theuser to unlock credit data of the user at each of the first creditbureau and the second credit bureau; in response to receiving the creditdata sharing authorization: determine, based on access of the datastructure, a first access protocol associated with the first creditbureau usable to request unlocking of credit data of the user at thefirst credit bureau; request unlocking of the credit data of the user atthe first credit bureau using the first access protocol; determine,based on access of the data structure, a second access protocolassociated with the second credit bureau usable to request unlocking ofcredit data of the user at the second credit bureau; and requestunlocking of the credit data of the user at the second credit bureauusing the second access protocol.
 2. The computing system of claim 1,wherein the computing system is further configured to request locking ofthe credit data of the user at the first credit bureau when apredetermined time period from unlocking the credit data of the user haspassed.
 3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the user computingdevice comprises at least one of: a mobile device, a keypad, a cardreader, a point of sale terminal, or a biometric data reader.
 4. Thecomputing system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is furtherconfigured to: receive, from the user computing device, anidentification of a third party; and in response to receiving, from theuser computing device, the identification of the third party: transmit afirst access request for the first credit bureau to provide access tocredit data of the user to the third party; and transmit a second accessrequest for the second credit bureau to provide access to credit data ofthe user to the third party.
 5. The computing system of claim 1, whereinto request unlocking of the credit data at the first and second creditbureau occurs in real time or substantially in real time of receivingthe credit data sharing authorization.
 6. The computing system of claim1, wherein to request unlocking of the credit data at the first creditbureau includes requesting unlocking of the credit data for access bythe user computing device, wherein the user computing device provides atleast a portion of the accessed credit data to a third party entity. 7.The computing system of claim 1, wherein to request unlocking of thecredit data at the first credit bureau includes requesting unlocking ofthe credit data for access by a third party entity.
 8. The computingsystem of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause thecomputing system to, subsequent to the requesting unlocking of thecredit data at the first credit bureau includes, requesting locking ofthe credit data after access of the credit data.
 9. The computing systemof claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause thecomputing system to authenticate the user via at least one personalidentifier (PID) received from the user computing device beforerequesting unlocking of the credit data at the first credit bureau. 10.The computing system of claim 9, wherein the PID comprises at least oneof: a name, an address, a phone number, a date of birth, a maiden name,a social security number, an account number, a driver's license number,a password, an RFID tag or token, biometric data, or a personalidentification number.
 11. The computing system of claim 1, wherein theexecutable instructions further cause the computing system to determinean access code of the first credit bureau corresponding to a personalidentifier associated with the user, and wherein the request to unlockthe credit data at the first credit bureau comprises the access code.12. The computing system of claim 11, wherein to determine the accesscode of the first credit bureau comprises accessing a pointer of alinked list to correlate the access code with the user.
 13. Thecomputing system of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions furthercause the computing system to request thawing of the credit data of theuser at the first credit bureau using the first access protocol.
 14. Acomputerized method for allowing a user to remotely unlock credit dataof the user at each of a plurality of credit bureaus, wherein the creditdata of the user can be unlocked at the plurality of credit bureaus onlywith authorization from the user, the computerized method comprising:providing a data structure indicating a first access protocol for afirst credit bureau of the plurality of credit bureaus and a secondaccess protocol for a second credit bureau of the plurality of creditbureaus; receiving a credit data sharing authorization from a usercomputing device operated by a user, the credit data sharingauthorization indicating a request by the user to unlock credit data ofthe user at each of the first credit bureau and the second creditbureau; and in response to receiving the credit data sharingauthorization: determine, based on access of the data structure, a firstaccess protocol associated with the first credit bureau; requestunlocking of the credit data of the user at the first credit bureauusing the first access protocol; determine, based on access of the datastructure, a second access protocol associated with the second creditbureau; and request unlocking of the credit data of the user at thesecond credit bureau using the second access protocol.
 15. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the method further comprises requesting locking of thecredit data of the user at the first credit bureau when a predeterminedtime period from unlocking the credit data of the user has passed. 16.The method of claim 14, wherein the user computing device comprises atleast one of: a mobile device, a keypad, a card reader, a point of saleterminal, or a biometric data reader.
 17. The method of claim 14,wherein the method further comprises: receiving, from the user computingdevice, an identification of a third party; and in response toreceiving, from the user computing device, the identification of thethird party: transmitting a first access request for the first creditbureau to provide access to credit data of the user to the third party;and transmitting a second access request for the second credit bureau toprovide access to credit data of the user to the third party.
 18. Anon-transitory computer readable storage medium havingcomputer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executableinstructions executable by a computing system having one or morehardware processors, wherein the computer-executable instructions areexecutable on the computing system in order to cause the computingsystem to perform operations comprising: providing a data structureindicating a first access protocol for a first credit bureau of theplurality of credit bureaus and a second access protocol for a secondcredit bureau of the plurality of credit bureaus; receiving a creditdata sharing authorization from a user computing device operated by auser, the credit data sharing authorization indicating a request by theuser to unlock credit data of the user at each of the first creditbureau and the second credit bureau; and in response to receiving thecredit data sharing authorization: determine, based on access of thedata structure, a first access protocol associated with the first creditbureau; request unlocking of the credit data of the user at the firstcredit bureau using the first access protocol; determine, based onaccess of the data structure, a second access protocol associated withthe second credit bureau; and request unlocking of the credit data ofthe user at the second credit bureau using the second access protocol.19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18,wherein the operations further comprise requesting locking of the creditdata of the user at the first credit bureau when a predetermined timeperiod from unlocking the credit data of the user has passed.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein theuser computing device comprises at least one of: a mobile device, akeypad, a card reader, a point of sale terminal, or a biometric datareader.